Democrats Break With Tradition As NDAA Becomes a Foreign Policy Fight

The usually bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been through the wringer in the last few weeks as members of Congress debated several aspects of the bill, with the Iran war, funding for Israel and voter ID being the latest points of contention.

Although the NDAA passed the House this week in a 216-214 vote, a series of controversial measures and Democratic pushback on the war with Iran stalled the bill for weeks. Like Senate Democrats last week, House Democrats were against the defense spending bill because it would go to funding the war.

“You can't trust President Trump's Department of War to do much of anything,” Representative Christian Menefee (D-TX), who voted “No” on the bill, told Texas Politics in an interview.

Rep. Menefee said the war has continued to cost Congress and Americans “billions of dollars a day,” with no clear path to freedom in sight for the Iranian people.

“What I want is freedom from the regime for the people of Iran, but not U.S. intervention to make that happen,” Rep. Menefee said. “A natural democratic movement is what should be happening there organically.”

Despite repeated claims that peace was within reach, the Trump administration has continued U.S. military operations against Iran, with nearly two weeks of sustained fighting. Last week, four U.S. servicemembers were killed in the conflict, marking the first American military deaths since the June ceasefire.

“What they [the Trump administration] have shown is that they are war mongers and eager to go across the world to start fights with people and then to spend billions of dollars in doing that,” he said.

The NDAA also included a controversial provision to merge the U.S. military with Israel’s. Although a long-term U.S. ally, Democrats have harbored growing opposition toward the foreign power over its military actions in Gaza.

Last week, over 100 Democrats voted for an amendment that would halt sending funding to Israel.

“The U.S. relationship with Israel, and particularly with the Netanyahu government, is going to have to change,” Rep. Menefee said. “I mean, that's the direction that I think everybody, as a caucus, is heading in.”

House Minority Leader and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) did not vote for the amendment, causing some to question if there is growing division within the Democratic Party. Rep. Menefee said this is far from the truth.

“He still acknowledged that the change is coming, and that's something you see from the Democratic Party,” Rep. Menefee said. “That's a reflection of the people.”

Rep. Menefee said Americans, who are struggling with the daily cost of living, are growing more frustrated with the war in Iran and the U.S.’s support of Israel. The Democrats' overwhelming opposition to the NDAA is evidence of that, he said.

“We're reflecting what the people want,” he said. “What you're not seeing is that in the Republican Party.”